Juan Forero

Juan Forero serves as a key procurement lead at the Southwest Regional Maintenance Center, part of the Department of the Navy, where he manages acquisitions critical to sustaining naval vessel readiness. His responsibilities encompass the full lifecycle procurement of industrial maintenance equipment, shipbuilding and repair services, and specialized technical systems essential to fleet operational availability. He oversees contracts for complex engineering support, including industrial machinery, laboratory instrumentation, and mission-critical software solutions, ensuring compliance with naval standards and defense acquisition regulations. His work directly enables the Center’s mission to modernize and maintain the Navy’s surface fleet through targeted industrial base engagement. Forero maintains consistent working relationships with a core group of contractors including W.V. Construction Company, Turn Key Scaffolding LLC, Premier Scaffolding, Inc., Fairbanks Morse, LLC, and The Sherwin-Williams Company. These partnerships reflect a focus on specialized industrial services—ranging from shipyard scaffolding and protective coatings to marine propulsion systems and precision instrumentation. His contracting patterns emphasize long-term vendor reliability, technical capability, and adherence to naval safety and environmental compliance protocols, fostering stable, performance-driven supplier relationships. A strong advocate for small business participation, Forero prioritizes Total Small Business Set-Aside contracts under FAR 19.5, with over 60% of his acquisitions reserved for small businesses. This reflects a deliberate strategy to cultivate a diverse industrial base, ensuring equitable access to Navy maintenance contracts for qualified small firms while maintaining mission-critical performance standards. His socioeconomic contracting approach aligns with Department of Defense goals to strengthen resilience through broadened supplier participation. His procurement focus centers on NAICS 336611 (Ship Building and Repairing) and 334516 (Analytical Laboratory Instrument Manufacturing), each accounting for 25% of his portfolio. He also regularly acquires industrial machinery, specialized software for maintenance tracking, and general-purpose equipment critical to naval engineering operations. His technical expertise spans marine systems, non-destructive testing instrumentation, and digital maintenance platforms, positioning him as a subject matter expert in naval industrial support procurement.